While the craft of embroidery may for some bring with it a rather outdated reputation, manufacturers in the sector are proving that innovation is still very much at the forefront of this lucrative sector.

Embroidery is proving fertile ground for manufacturers in the embroidery sector against a backdrop of fast fashion and ever-changing demands. In a time of drastic change for the industry, several stalwarts in this equation, including Cezoma, Laesser, Saurer and Titan-Baratto and ZSK, are increasingly turning to customisation. This bodes well for innovators in the field.

For German firm ZSK, ‘innovation in embroidery’ is the mantra. A company with more than 55 years’ experience in the field, it has had to roll with the punches at a time of immense change within the broader field of textiles, where automation and digitisation have taken precedence.

For those driving the sector forward, it’s been a case of adaptation to customer demand and, more importantly, the promise of high quality services and solutions.

“Our embroidery machines are known for their quality, versatility, efficiency and life time,” says Julius Sobizack, the company’s president. “Customers benefit from the upgradability of their equipment for decades, with a large assortment of optional devices and excellent education from us about embroidery.”

ZSK will showcase at ITMA 2019 an array of solutions from its technical embroidery machines. Photo: ZSK

For the last 30 years, embroidery has been just one arrow in the company’s quiver, as software solutions in the broader scheme of things has taken a foothold.

It comes back to the word ‘versatility’, which ZSK will push at its ITMA exhibit in Barcelona. “The ZSK exhibit represents the strength of the company – versatility. With us, it is not a single flagship model of machine, but our interest is in providing an overview of the huge range of potential embroidery applications,” Sobizack says.

In the spotlight will be an array of ZSK solutions from its Sprint, Racer and Challenger series of embroidery machines, through to its latest solutions in bead devices, triple combination embroidery machines – for embroidery, cording and chenille – and thick yarn embroidery on leather.

The development of digital

As consumers and the brands which serve them seek apparel production technologies with the offering of customisation, leading embroidery and cutting specialists have jumped on the band wagon to provide similar services.

For Turkish cutting solutions provider Serkon Tekstil, flexibility in manufacturing has also been made paramount. “The biggest challenge is developing the software. It is the critical point in automation and it needs to be continuously upgraded. Thanks to our software engineers, we are able to compete with well-known brands in this area,” the company says.

A supplier of fabric spreading, labelling and cutting machines, Serkon is in a period of transition. With a new 10,000 sq/m high technology building in the pipeline, the company is well positioned to acclimatise to the ever-changing industry around it.

Cutting and fabric handling solutions are crucial production aspects that can yield cost and resource savings. Photo: Serkon Tekstil

Cutting and fabric handling solutions are now crucial in any modern manufacturer’s workflow. It’s an aspect of production that can yield substantial cost and resource savings through frugal material usage and high quality outputs.

What’s more, with new research from market research firm McKinsey indicating that the fashion industry is considering a shift away from Asian production in favour of cheaper, closer services, it’s no wonder Serkon is re-aligning in order to boost production output, quality and speed.

According to McKinsey, the “tide is turning” with regards to manufacturing opportunities around the world. To the extent that Mexico and Turkey can now offer cheaper – by 12 and three per cent respectively – production lines than China.

With ITMA 2019 just months away, Serkon, ZSK and the other 1600+ exhibitors are well positioned to demonstrate their capabilities in front of visitors from around the world at the world’s leading textile and garment technology showcase.